Doha: The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ictQATAR) yesterday issued a public consultation on a draft eParticipation Policy to improve citizens’ access to information and public services and promote participation in decision-making, which affects the well-being of society in general and the individual in particular.
Views and comments should be sent to [email protected] on or before September 15. Consultation survey may also be filled online at the Hukoomi website. Public participation in governance processes and decision-making is a vital component in the new knowledge-based society.
The policy provides provisions for government agencies to support the use of online community engagement as an integral part of development, implementation and evaluation of its policies, programmes and services. The policy requires all government agencies to take the following steps: eParticipation administration, eParticipation webpage, online public consultation and public engagement, use of social media analytics and the national eParticipation portal.
“eParticipation is the sum total of the government’s programmes to encourage public participation and the willingness of the public to do so. It is imperative that to successfully embrace eParticipation and ensure social and economic progress of the nation, all government agencies implement provisions in the draft policy,” said Hassan Jassim Al Sayed, Assistant Secretary-General, Information Technology Sector, ICT Government Programmes, ictQATAR.
“The policy document aims at promoting the culture and practices of eParticipation in government agencies and improving transparency and public participation, assisting Qatar in achieving its development goals,” he added.
The draft policy is available in Arabic and English at ictQATAR’s website www.ictqatar.qa. The ministry is also inviting people to fill in the questionnaire at the Qatar eGovernment Portal (Hokoomi) at www.gov.qa available in Arabic and English.
The Peninsula
